Gladders

I'll let you know how it goes. Silky sounds very appealing. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I recently came into a BMK too, bought used from a guy on a German forum. My first impression are, wow. Made about ten years ago and absolutely spotless. The yoyo stoppers have perished but everything else is as new. Can't wait for the right winds. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I bought a new kite last week, a Blue Moon Mantis, and since it arrived it has been blowing a gale here. So your high winds are probably my fault. Sorry. [emoji16] Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Cool. Thanks. I wonder if it has any impact on the kite's ability to flare/fade? Suppose I'll find out next time I fly. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I've just put a leech line into my Quantum using the guide here. What kind of gains should I expect to see from doing that? Apart from being a bit quieter? Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I was flying yesterday in winds of naybec12mph. I really struggled to get my kite to turtle - it made it half way there then righted and just carried on. I was flying directly upwards in the middle of the window. So, my question is, is it the distance of the throw forward, the speed of the throw forward, or both?

Yes, there was a bit of that. Stall, then fall. I tried a couple of nosedive to pancakes, which I might not have dared in stronger winds.

I just had forty minutes in 6mph winds with the quantum. Great fun. Waaaay slower than the limbo, and more stately. Got a helicopter and a belly launch. Nothing broken. Woo hoo!

Brilliant. Om. 😌

Pizza kite

That ^^^ ✔️ I'm quite ready to believe that. So here's the rub - you read around to seek advice, and on one site you read that the premier addiction is too twitchy and has loads of oversteer, then on another you find someone like you that really likes it. So much of this is subjective, which means that a kite with consistent though perhaps lukewarm reviews starts to looks like a good bet. I'm looking forward to flying the Quantum. Today will be the second thirteen hour working day in a row, but I'm off tomorrow. The forecast is cold and clear with 4/5mph winds. Maybe I'll get some light wind practice in. Can I say, I'm really enjoying this kite chat. Thanks to everyone who's made me so welcome.

Thats me. Short and very, very wide. 🙃

That was easy. Good old Wikipedia. Bell wanted a kite that was both strong and stable enough to carry people. He worked up to one with (wait for it) 3393 cell weighing 90KG. Some kite. Bell's experiments in manned kite flight did not, it seems, represent a great leap forward either in kite design or in the way we move from A to B. I wonder if all famous inventors CVs are a mixture of the good stuff that made them famous and some the crazy, pointless stuff that no-one talks about? I bet they are. 🤪

Is there an advantage to that shape, other than it being good fun? Is it more stable? Does it have more lift? It certainly doesn't look easier to store, assemble, launch or land. Bell used them for aerials I suppose. He must have been dissatisfied with the existing kite designs for some reason? I'll google it.

I've been looking for a Zephyr but I think they are out of production and increasingly out of stock.

I know, I know, I know. But I didn't. I think you need a cheapie first, otherwise how would you know you've been bitten? You wouldn't just get a burning yearning for a stunt kite one day and go out and drop £100 (or more) on one just to see what it's like. I can see that if you've flown one at a festival or with a friend and you just know you've got to do more of it, then absolutely, the advice to shell out a bit is good - I'm sure it makes learning easier. That certainly holds true with musical instruments. Anyway, I'm building up a little stable. The Symphony for easy, soothing, mindless fun; the Limbo for higher winds, and the newly arrived Quantum for lighter winds and trick practise. That Quantum's a lot of kite. I can't believe the attention to detail and the neat little features, like the ability to adjust the pigtails in the straps to equalise the lines. On the other hand, I'm already starting to wonder if I should have been more ambitious. Oh well. It's my birthday in March. Plenty of time before then to think about what comes next.

Can you still get the Zephyr? There's only one prism stockist in the UK that I know of and they don't carry it. Is it full size? The 4D looks interesting. Small and very light.

@Breezin, I love this post. Your enthusiasm is infectious. As it happens, I am a yoga person and I think I breath with my movements when flying without really intending to. I know what you mean about the silly grin; it's a ridiculously satisfying way to spend some time, just noodling about in the sky. An SUL you say. Interesting...

Well, I've only broken one spar in maybe a dozen flights with the limbo, so maybe I'm not doing too badly. I've got squares fairly well and can land nicely either side of the window. I've got a little bit of a right to left slide, though not so much of a left to right one. When I said the limbo was frustrating, i meant it was fast and a bit unpredictable. The difference in line lengths and bridle will account for some of that, but also it's a relatively small kite. Anyway, next time out I'm looking for a belly landing/take off, and a turtle. Just waiting for the wind.

I don't take it personally. No problem. Are there many fliers from Europe here?

Is this open to uk fliers? If so, I'm in. If not, I'm not. Either way, I'm all for the pay it forward principle. 👍

I really don't need any encouragement on this score. As for frustrating, I've watched some of the videos. It looks dead easy. 😉

And of saying that, if 5mm was making his life difficult, then 25mm would be making mine all but impossible. I can't believe I didn't check before. 🙄

I had a look at the Premier Addiction. Nice, but I though it looked a bit fast for my needs. Never heard of Sky Burner.

Thanks @Breezin, TBH i fancy a change from HQ. I saw an interesting deal on an Elliot kite earlier but I can't find much about them. I had a look at the freilein kites too but I didnt find the website very friendly. Unless I order from Europe, the choices here seem to be either fairly mainstream HQ/Prism/CIM kites or super-boutique high end ones. And anyway, now I've read a bit on here, I'm wondering about a Rev. 😁